A Pharaoh and Her Beloved Queen: Modern Chapter - Chapter 4

In front of the large, bright floor-to-ceiling windows, Ye Zhiqing let the documents pile up on her desk, her expression wearing a rare look of distress.

Edith’s appearance had clearly disrupted the normal rhythm of her life and work.

Picking up her phone, she edited and sent a message: “Ruan Yu, what’s going on with the company’s new partner? You’ve violated the partnership agreement again.”

Her business-like attitude was consistent with the impression many had of Ye Zhiqing: beautiful, yes, but bland and uninteresting, old-fashioned and serious—an unapproachable “Cold Flower” on a high mountain.

Guji~ Ruan Yu replied almost instantly.

“Oh, Qingqing, aren’t you and I the only partners in the company? Haven’t I been too busy lately? I forgot to mention the thing about Edith to you. Besides, Edith is like a piece of fat meat delivered right to our mouths; if I didn’t snap her up quickly, who knows which other wolf would have snatched her away.”

“You should have discussed it with me beforehand.”

Ruan Yu clearly understood Ye Zhiqing’s temper perfectly, and her tone immediately softened.

“I know I was wrong, Qingqing. I promise never to do it again. Hanhai Auction House is breathing down our necks right now, isn’t it? I was just anxious. I had Wenwen leave the partnership agreement on your desk. Don’t worry, there definitely won’t be any trouble. Humph-pout.jpg”

“Don’t let there be a next time.”

Even through the screen, Ye Zhiqing could imagine Ruan Yu’s current pitiful, shameless expression. She reflected that while Ruan Yu seemed careless on the surface, she was sharper than a fox when it came to business, which gave Ye Zhiqing some peace of mind.

She shook her head helplessly; she really had no way to deal with her.

Hanhai Auction House was Rongbaozhai’s number one competitor. Both companies were located in the Imperial Capital and possessed deep historical and cultural roots.

Originally, Rongbaozhai had outperformed Hanhai in every aspect, but ever since Hanhai changed its leadership five years ago, it had shown a trend of overtaking Rongbaozhai.

Thinking of the partnership agreement Ruan Yu mentioned, Ye Zhiqing flipped through it and read it carefully several times. Edith’s joining could exactly fill the vacancy in Rongbaozhai’s Western Asian market. Currently, the main focus of the competition between Rongbaozhai and Hanhai was the overseas market, so it was no wonder Ruan Yu had been so impatient this time.

Edith was indeed a good business deal delivered to the door, but the lack of suspicious points was exactly the biggest suspicion.

Her interactions with Edith over the past two days were far too frequent; everything felt like it had been pre-planned. Ye Zhiqing hoped she was just being oversensitive.

Ye Zhiqing’s dazed look happened to fall into the eyes of the passing Edith. The warm sun through the glass window plated Ye Zhiqing’s soft hair with layered glimmers of light, and her delicate collarbones were half-hidden amidst her dark hair.

In the eyes of an interested observer, it could easily evoke infinite fantasies. Edith’s hand hanging at her side twitched, thinking to herself that the texture must be quite good.

Beside Edith, Wen Wen watched with wide eyes as the domineering Vice President, who had been cold and indifferent just a moment ago, suddenly seemed like a different person, looking at her own hand with a smile as radiant as spring breeze.

So what just happened? Although confused, Wen Wen maintained a respectful expression and led Edith to her exclusive office.

“VP Yi, this is your office.” The newly renovated office was simple and elegant; it wasn’t hard to see the immense sincerity and care in the fine details.

Wen Wen was confident the new Vice President would be satisfied. Before Ruan Yu went on her business trip, Wen Wen had already “signed a military order” (pledged) that she would definitely win Edith over.

However, the reality was that after waiting for a long time, Edith simply stood at the door, having returned to her cold, unmoved expression.

Wen Wen’s heart skipped a beat. She stole a glance at Edith—she didn’t look dissatisfied, but she didn’t look satisfied either. So…

“I want that office,” Edith pointed into the distance. It was exactly the one next door to Ye Zhiqing’s. Compared to the renovated office, the one next to Ye Zhiqing was smaller, had poor lighting, and hadn’t even been decorated yet.

“Ah?” Wen Wen stood dazed with her mouth slightly open for a while before connecting that the office next door belonged to VP Ye. Suddenly, the sparks of gossip in her eyes began to burn fiercely. “Could the reason VP Edith is dissatisfied be because she’s too far from VP Ye?”

Recalling the reactions between Ye Zhiqing and Edith downstairs earlier, Wen Wen’s mind had already automatically filled in an eighteen-act drama.

Maintaining her respectful face, Wen Wen followed up, “VP Yi, you want to move your office next to VP Ye?”

“Yes,” Edith nodded in agreement, her posture composed.

“Alright, VP Yi. It’s just that rearranging and renovating will take some time. For the next two days, will you make do with this office first?”

“No need,” Edith declined calmly. She walked unhurriedly to Ye Zhiqing’s office door and knocked.

Knock, knock, knock~

Ye Zhiqing was currently focused on the planning proposal for the “Autumn Secret Treasures” theme event to be held by Rongbaozhai in two months.

Hearing the knock, she looked up and found Edith watching her with a faint smile. Somehow, the words “tender and deep affection” flashed through her mind.

Especially earlier in the car, Edith had worn this same expression.

Her heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Assistant Wen explained from behind Edith. Clearly, she hadn’t expected Edith to make such a bold move, and her logical flow was slightly disorganized.

Ye Zhiqing got the gist of it, put down her pen, and said calmly, “It’s fine. Assistant Wen, you go ahead with your work. VP Yi can leave it to me.”

Ye Zhiqing had always kept her public and private lives strictly separate in her work. Since Edith was now a new partner, it stood to reason that getting acquainted early was necessary.

“Alright, thank you for your hard work, VP Ye,” Wen Wen immediately agreed, her expression subtle. She keenly sensed that there seemed to be something fishy between the new VP Yi and VP Ye.

As soon as she left their line of sight, Wen Wen couldn’t wait to take out her phone, open WeChat, and tap into the “Rongbaozhai Melon-Eating Brigade” (Gossip) group.

CEO’s Assistant Wen Wen: Girls!!! Massive news. The new VP seems to have an “indescribable” relationship with VP Ye.

Planning Dept Ye Yiyi: No way, has the Big Boss still not won over VP Ye? QuestionMark.jpg

Admin Dept Big Iron Head: I don’t think any woman can resist the Big Boss’s charm.

HR Yuan Chacha: But VP Ye is a fairy on an iceberg, not an ordinary woman.

Audit Committee Sister Liu: Then again, haven’t you noticed that when VP Ye looks at the Big Boss, it’s always with a look of “disappointed it’s not better”?

Passerby A: RubbingHands.jpg, camping here for updates.

…

After Wen Wen added fuel to the fire by describing the situation just now, the group discussion quickly became heated.

The speed of office gossip is terrifying. Soon, various versions were flying around the company, such as “The new VP Yi traveled thousands of miles to chase her wife,” while “VP Ye only has eyes for the Big Boss,” and other melodramatic plots.

The people involved were entirely unaware of this and were getting along very harmoniously in the office.

“Tea or coffee?”

“Coffee.”

“For the rest, please suit yourself, VP Yi.”

After handing the coffee to Edith, Ye Zhiqing sat back at her desk and focused on the documents, no longer paying attention to her.

Her brow arched in a pleasant mood as Edith unhurriedly sat on the sofa opposite Ye Zhiqing, sipping the coffee in her cup.

In a daze, Edith felt as though she had traveled through three thousand years of time. She saw again the Zhiqing of three thousand years ago—gentle, calm, and quiet when focused on something, her black eyes flashing with a light of cunning and wisdom, intoxicatingly charming.

The coffee was an Italian Espresso—no sugar, no milk—known as the strongest and most bitter coffee in the world.

Ye Zhiqing had been watching Edith out of the corner of her eye. Seeing her finish it without changing her expression the entire time, what started as a small prank strangely left a bad taste in Ye Zhiqing’s mouth.

Only those who truly know how to appreciate coffee understand the mellow fragrance of an Espresso. But for those who do understand, how heavy must their heart be to finish a large cup without flinching?